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THE MAG OF MFA. SPRING-SUMMER 11 ISSUE 8

Fishy Business

MFA Goes Undercover at a Fish Slaughter Facility

Farm to Fridge New Film Serves Food for Thought

Bob Barker

to the Rescue TV Legend Comes to the Aid of Calves

Confronting CAFOs Exclusive Interview with Dan Imhoff

MercyForAnimals.org

Mark Bittman, columnist for The New York Times, recently wrote that “organizations like the Humane Society and Mercy For Animals need to be allowed to do the work that the federal and state governments are not: documenting the kind of behavior most of us abhor. Indeed, the independent investigators should be supported.” I couldn’t agree more. In fact, most people feel the same. A recent poll on the effort in Iowa to criminalize undercover animal cruelty investigations found that a mere 21 percent of respondents supported the bills. Another testament to just how out of step agribusiness has become with mainstream values.

Dear Friends, Factory farming is an ugly business. How ugly? Enough that pro-agribusiness legislators in Iowa, Florida, and Minnesota are now frantically working to rush through “ag gag” bills that would make it a criminal offense to merely snap photographs, or record videos, inside factory farms. Outrageous, isn’t it? Clearly factory farmers have a lot to hide, if they are willing to go to such despicable measures to conceal their cruel practices from public view. Cruelty to animals runs rampant on factory farms, and the industry knows it. Rather than improve conditions for animals, agribusiness interests – including the likes of Monsanto, DuPont, and massive pork, egg, and poultry producers – are now on an all-out legislative warpath to silence and intimidate individuals who seek to expose and stop animal abuse. As Mercy For Animals’ undercover investigations consistently reveal, factory farms subject animals to cruelties that are simply out of step with most Americans’ values – such as cramming animals into cages so small they cannot turn around and mutilating them without painkillers. This cruelty is the industry norm, not the exception. The sad truth remains that not a single federal law protects farmed animals from inhumane treatment or neglect during their lives on the farm – meaning without undercover investigations, there are virtually no watchdogs protecting animals from egregious abuses behind the closed doors of these secretive facilities. And that’s a real problem. Time and time again, factory farmers have shown they are incapable of self-regulation – valuing increased profits over improved animal care.

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In addition to shielding animal exploiters from public scrutiny, these bills are a blatant violation of free speech and freedom of the press. So much so that the ACLU is actively opposing them. The bills aim to keep consumers in the dark, which in turn threatens public health and food safety. Remember – the largest beef recall in U.S. history was the direct result of an undercover cruelty investigation, which exposed “downer” cows – those too sick or injured to stand and at a heightened risk for carrying disease – being kicked, shocked, blasted with high-pressure water hoses and pushed with forklifts onto the kill floor. Consumers have a right to know the truth about how their food is produced and how animals are treated. To the chagrin of the meat, dairy, and egg industries, most Americans find their day-to-day practices both offensive and totally unacceptable. Surely an industry so out-of-control and offensive that its only recourse is secrecy should be examined with an evermore-critical eye. As a civilized society it’s our moral obligation to prevent needless cruelty to animals – not to conceal it. Abuse thrives in darkness. Speaking to the benefits of openness and transparency, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” It’s our duty to throw open the doors of factory farms and expose its ugly reality for all to see. This unobstructed view will undoubtedly compel many more compassionate consumers to explore humane, animal-free foods they can be proud of – produced in facilities where photographers are welcomed. For a kinder tomorrow,



Nathan Runkle Executive Director

CL Compassionate Living

dear friends

Contributors

Amy Bradley Derek Coons Eddie Garza Daniel Hauff Arathi Jayaram Brooke Mays Kevin Olliff Matt Rice Nathan Runkle Anya Todd Kenny Torrella Cover photo courtesy of CBS.

Mercy For Animals (MFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal advocacy organization that believes non-human animals are irreplaceable individuals who have morally significant interests and hence rights, including the right to live free of unnecessary suffering. MFA is dedicated to establishing and defending the rights of all animals. Given that over 97% of animal cruelty occurs in the production of meat, dairy, and eggs, MFA’s main function is promoting a vegetarian diet. MFA works to be a voice for animals through public education and advertisement campaigns, research and investigations, working with news media, and grassroots activism. MFA relies on the generous support of compassionate individuals to carry on our lifesaving work. To become a member, simply send a contribution of $15 to: Mercy For Animals 3712 N. Broadway, Ste. 560 Chicago, IL 60613 1-866-632-6446 [email protected]

newswatch

Heart-Healthy Vegetarian Diets Save Lives In February 2010, an article in Reuters warned that heart disease, caused primarily by excess meat consumption, would kill 400,000 Americans that year. Researchers have been warning Americans for years that meaty diets are bad for the heart and that well-planned, plant-based diets help protect against heart disease. In fact, William Castelli, M.D., director of the Framingham Heart Study, the longestrunning clinical study in medical history, says heart disease would disappear if Americans adopted a vegetarian diet.

Luckily, this year, a new documentary has brought this important message to the masses. Recounting the journeys of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, known for successfully reversing heart disease through diet, and Dr. Colin T. Campbell, author of The China Study, the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted, Forks Over Knives aims to save lives by showing heart disease and other deadly diseases “can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.”

The Science Is Mounting: Animal Agriculture Is Killing the Planet The United Nations has already condemned animal agriculture as one of the major contributors to the world’s most serious environmental problems, asserting that a global shift toward a vegan diet is vital to save the planet. In October, researchers in Canada calculated that per capita meat consumption will have to decrease by as much as 42% by 2050 just to keep environmental damage caused by animal agriculture at current levels. As though improving one's personal health, sparing animals from needless suffering, and protecting the environment from destruction weren't compelling enough reasons to adopt a vegan diet, in January of this year, 400 scientists from around the world compiled a new Foresight Report indicating that another important reason to transition to a healthy vegan lifestyle is to help stave off global starvation and hunger. Seemingly, the question is no longer, “Will the world shift to a plantbased food system?” but “When and how much damage will be caused before we do?”

Popular Palate: The Rise of Vegetarianism It’s official: plant-based living is on the rise. In October, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported 50% more vegetarian and twice as many vegan college students compared to just four years ago. In November, Bloomberg Business Week ran an article entitled "The Rise of the Power Vegans,” outlining the growing popularity of veganism among many of the world's modern elites, including billionaire Las Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn, Ford Executive Chairman of the Board Bill Ford, and former President Bill Clinton. As part of the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé Professional says in its “Top Ten Food Trends for 2011” that “with as much as 20% of the population describing itself as vegetarian at least part-time – it makes sense to commit to vegetarian options.” And in January, The Associated Press reported that more than half the 1,500 chefs polled by the National Restaurant Association for its new “What's Hot in 2011” list included vegan entrées as a hot trend.

Factory Farming: A Dying Industry A September article in The Washington Post predicted the

Echoing consumer sentiment in the U.S., the Dalai Lama

current system of industrial meat production would shock

recently spoke out against battery-cage egg farming,

and horrify future generations. But mounting evidence

and one British slaughterhouse closed and another lost its

shows that factory farming practices are already out of sync

supermarket contract after hidden cameras, installed by

with modern values – and many consumers are changing

UK-based Animal Aid, sparked public outrage over routine

their eating habits accordingly.

cruelty documented at several facilities.

A recent study by livestock economists at Kansas State

In the wake of the investigations, legislators have called

University and Purdue University found that consumer

for cameras to be placed in 370 British slaughterhouses to

demand for all types of meat is reduced significantly when

help curb cruelty to animals.

the public is exposed to animal cruelty issues in the news.

CHOOSEVEG.COM

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meetmfa

Passionate

Pioneer

Derek Coons serves as Mercy For Animals’ Director of Information Technology. A vital part of MFA almost since its inception over a decade ago, Derek helps oversee the direction, focus, effectiveness and efficiency of the organization. He resides in Dublin, Ohio, and in his spare time can be found running, hiking or playing Ultimate Frisbee.

CL: What first inspired you to become a vegetarian? DC: During high school, I worked in the kitchen of a Red Lobster restaurant, and witnessed lobsters being steamed alive and stabbed with knives on cutting boards. I could only imagine what it might feel like to be burned to death or to have my chest ripped apart with a knife, and I didn’t want any other being to experience that. I immediately swore off lobster.    But then I began thinking about all the other animals I ate, like chickens, pigs and cows, and the cruelty inflicted on these animals. I realized my eating habits were in direct conflict with my values and decided to become a vegetarian, and then a vegan soon after learning about the violence inherent in the egg and dairy industries.

CL: You’ve been involved with MFA since almost the beginning. What are some of your favorite memories from the past decade? DC: I really enjoy hearing from people who have been impacted by our work. On numerous occasions strangers have come up to me and said things like, “You probably don’t remember me, but you handed me a vegetarian leaflet several years ago. I’m vegan now and it’s been one of the best decisions of my life!" Or someone will tell me that they went vegan after watching an MFA documentary I worked on. I love seeing change in action. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented, dedicated, and results-oriented activists in the world.

Activist Spotlight: Derek Coons Position with MFA: Director of Information Technology Hometown: Piqua, OH E-mail: [email protected] Favorite Quote: "We need to be the change we wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi CL: You oversee MFA’s technology and presence on the web. What’s the best way for people to stay connected to MFA online? DC: If they haven’t already, everyone reading this interview should visit MercyForAnimals.org and subscribe to MFA’s e-newsletter. It’s one of the best ways to find out what’s going on in the vegetarian world and it’s completely free. Also, friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

CL: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers? DC: One of the activists I know calls me “B12 Man” because I’m always reminding vegetarians to make sure they are taking a B12 supplement to maintain optimal health. So, for all our vegetarian and vegan readers out there, don’t forget your B12!

CL: What is the key to your success as an activist? DC: One of the keys is to make activism a part of your daily or weekly routine. After a while, it just becomes a habit like brushing your teeth, and over time, the impact for animals can be enormous.

Probably the most important thing I want our readers to know, though, is just how dependent we are on our donors. Whenever you see one of our investigations, one of our ad campaigns, one of our press conferences, it was funded by our donors. While they don’t really get talked about that much, in my eyes, our donors are rock stars.

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actionreport

Veg Flare to Mainstream Fare In honor of the fifth annual World Go Vegan Week this October, MFA collaborated with over a dozen popular mainstream restaurants in four major U.S. cities to “veganize” their menus for the weeklong celebration.

Credit: Jessica Mahady

Six of Dallas’ most renowned chefs featured upscale vegan culinary creations and in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, diners enjoyed vegan twists on classic sandwiches, pizzas and dogs. In New York, with the help of vegan chef and Super Size Me co-star Alexandra Jamieson, Gust Organics – the nation’s premier organic restaurant – added an entire vegan menu! Due to popular demand, several participating restaurants made the new vegan dishes permanent menu offerings. A Columbus restaurant even adopted vegetarian dinner specials for weekly “Meatless Mondays.”

MercyForAnimals.org/VeganWeek

Ads Ask Millions to Choose Veg Just in time for Thanksgiving, MFA rolled out provocative billboard and rail ads in Chicago and Detroit, featuring an emboldened turkey declaring, “I Beg Your Pardon – Spare a Turkey. Choose Vegetarian.” MFA also created a startling 30-second ad exposing turkey farm and slaughterhouse cruelty to air during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but NBC would not accept the controversial ad. This winter, MFA rail and billboard ads encouraged travelers in Las Vegas, New Jersey and Michigan to widen their circle of compassion to include all animals, not just dogs and cats, by posing the question, “Why love one but eat the other?” New Jersey commuters were also encouraged to choose a vegetarian diet with rail ads asking, “How Much Cruelty Can You Swallow?”

MercyForAnimals.org/Ads

Year in Numbers

Power of the Pen

2010 was a landmark year for MFA. Activists distributed over 1,000,000 pieces of literature and held 700 pro-vegetarian outreach events and 65 humane education presentations. MFA released three groundbreaking undercover investigations in 2010; our investigation into an Ohio veal farm prompted Costco to end its sale of crated veal; a worker was convicted on six counts of animal cruelty following the release of footage from an Ohio dairy farm; and our investigation into New York State’s largest dairy operation led to a bill to ban cattle tail docking.

This year Taco Bell faced a lawsuit alleging their “meat mixture” contained only 36% meat. MFA’s solution? Go 100% meatless! In an open letter to the President of Taco Bell, MFA’s Executive Director Nathan Runkle asked the fast food chain to "Think Outside the Bun" and switch to a healthy and delicious vegan meat substitute.

Our high-profile campaigns and investigations generated over 2,000 news stories, and ChooseVeg.com attracted nearly 1 million visitors. MFA billboard ad campaigns appeared in six major U.S. cities, with a combined viewership of over 70 million.

MercyForAnimals.org/2010YIR

Lady GaGa turned heads – and stomachs – at the MTV Video Music Awards by donning a dress made of real meat. In an open letter to Lady GaGa, Runkle stated that “meat is more than simply a ‘meal’ or a ‘fabric,’ it's the rotting remains of a ‘someone.’ I hope you will consider shedding the meat dress and turning over a new leaf, not only by ditching meat from your closet, but also your refrigerator."

MercyForAnimals.org/LadyGaga CHOOSEVEG.COM

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vegan health

Ask Anya Anya Todd is a vegan registered and licensed dietitian who recently accepted a position at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland. She looks forward to teaching youngsters about the benefits of eating their fruits & vegetables.

Q:

I hear plant foods don’t have cholesterol. Do I need to worry about my cholesterol levels as a vegan?

Maybe. Should you be aware of your levels? Definitely. Cholesterol has specific functions within our bodies, such as hormone production and maintaining cell membranes. Luckily, our bodies manufacture all the cholesterol that is required. Therefore, anything we consume is going above and beyond what is needed, and can possibly cause problems. Animal products are the only sources of dietary cholesterol. So, if you are already consuming a vegan diet, a good portion of your cholesterol worries can go away; however, don’t break out the celebratory vegan cupcake yet. Much research has shown that your saturated and trans fat intakes have more effects on your body’s cholesterol production than previously believed. Translation: vegans consuming a diet rich in hydrogenated oils increase their risk of having higher cholesterol levels. The “junk-food” vegan is not immune to the cardiovascular effects of cholesterol. Elevated cholesterol levels can lead to cardiovascular disease, which opens the door to a plethora of ailments, including heart attacks and strokes. Heart disease is the number one killer in our country. It is referred to by medical professionals, including the renowned Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, as “a disease of affluence” because it is a condition that exists predominately in Westernized cultures where the hamburgers are plentiful and the expanding waist sizes show it. Thousands of invasive medical procedures are performed every day in hospitals from LA to NYC to repair the cardiac damage caused by the disease.

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Many of the procedures will need to be done again, as they are only bandages to the underlying problem for the majority of patients – poor diet. Studies across the board show that vegans have lower blood cholesterol levels than their vegetarian and omnivorous counterparts. Your cholesterol levels are broken down into three parts: HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. HDL is considered the “good” cholesterol, while both LDL and triglycerides have deleterious effects. It is important to note that your total cholesterol level is a reflection of all three values combined. The current recommendation is for a cholesterol level under 200 mg/dl; however, there is much belief that levels of 150 mg/dl are more desirable based on population studies.

Studies across the board show vegans have lower blood cholesterol levels than their vegetarian and omnivorous counterparts. It is true that there is a genetic component to your risk of having elevated cholesterol – and if that is the category into which you fall, feel free to curse your Grandpa Floyd up and down. Yet, for most of us, the choices we make about what foods we put on our plates make all the difference. When we speak of cardiac health, we must also mention that fiber, Vitamin B12 and Omega-3 fatty acids are also important nutrients to consume regularly. A whole foods vegan diet not only reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, but it can also lower your risk of other chronic diseases of affluence, like cancer and diabetes. Now that is reason for a celebratory vegan bran muffin!

vegan flavor

Recipes from Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Kale with Peanut Dressing Ingredients: 1 large bunch of kale (hard spine removed), chopped 1 carrot, julienned ½ cup (130 g) peanut butter ¼ cup (60 ml) water 2 tablespoons tamari 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon agave nectar Red pepper flakes, for garnish Sesame seeds, for garnish

Fill a steamer basket with the kale and carrot and steam over boiling water in a medium saucepan until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the peanut butter, water, tamari, rice vinegar, and agave nectar. Toss the vegetables with the dressing until well combined. Garnish with red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Makes 4 Servings

Minty Cantaloupe Surprise

BBQ Seitan Chopped Salad Ingredients: 2 (8-ounce/225 g) packages seitan, chopped ²/³ cup (165 ml) barbecue sauce 1 (14-ounce/400 g) package silken tofu 1 lemon, zested and juiced ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened almond milk ½ cup (5 g) chopped dill 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon agave nectar 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon celery seed ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste Pepper, to taste 5 cups (235 g) chopped romaine lettuce 2 celery stalks, diced 1 carrot, peeled, and julienned 2 avocados, cubed Dulse flakes, for garnish

In a medium-size sauté pan, sauté the seitan with the barbecue sauce until well combined and heated through. In a blender or food processor, add the tofu, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond milk, dill, vinegar, agave nectar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper, and blend until creamy. In a large bowl, add the romaine, celery, carrot, and avocados. Toss the seitan with the salad ingredients. Drizzle the dressing on top and sprinkle with the Dulse flakes, to garnish. Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients: ½ cantaloupe, seeded, peeled, and chopped into cubes ½ cup (120 ml) chilled orange juice 1 cup (155 g) fresh or frozen peaches ¼ cup (25 g) finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined. Serve immediately. Makes 2 Servings

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cover story

CRATED

CRUELTY MFA Undercover Investigation Exposes the Hidden Price of Veal

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Compassionate Living Mercyforanimals.org

As a civilized society it’s our moral obligation to prevent needless cruelty to animals. The harsh conditions endured by calves during veal production are both abusive and totally unacceptable.

Baby calf chained by his neck inside a narrow veal crate.

cover story

- Bob Barker, Emmy Award-winning host of The Price Is Right and longtime animal advocate

Indeed, Mr. Barker’s sentiment is evoked in the hearts of many by the findings of a recent Mercy For Animals’ investigation into Buckeye Veal Farm in Apple Creek, Ohio. “John,” an MFA undercover investigator, filmed the conditions and routine activities of a typical day at Buckeye Veal Farm, which was much less a “farm” than an industrial warehouse – artificially lit, brick-walled, and windowless.

Solitary Confinement Wired with a hidden camera, John walked down the concrete aisle of the facility between rows of small wooden stalls, each occupied by a solitary calf. The stalls were only 2-feet-wide, and completely barren, without even any bedding on the floor. Tightly chained by their necks, many calves constantly twisted and turned their heads and pulled against the chains in failed attempts to free themselves. The stalls were so narrow and the chains so short that the calves were unable to turn around, take more than a couple of steps forward or back, or lie down in a comfortable position. The undercover video footage reveals calves repetitively stepping back and forth and stamping in place, indicating the severe and chronic frustration caused by their extreme confinement. Not only were the calves denied the most basic freedom of movement, they were denied nearly everything else that was natural to them: breathing fresh air, feeling the sun or grass beneath their feet, grooming themselves or gamboling on open ground. These highly social herd animals never even had the opportunity to suckle or bond with their mothers, nor experienced the joy of romping and playing with other calves. The inability to groom themselves also reduced these naturally clean animals to living in their own waste. John observed many calves at Buckeye Veal Farm to have hindquarters matted with feces, and to stomp and swat with their tails in an effort to scatter the accumulation of flies attracted by the manure buildup.

Tortured for Tenderness Like the calves John encountered at Buckeye Veal Farm, most calves raised for veal in the United States are subjected to chained confinement in small stalls or crates, commonly termed “crated veal” production. This calf housing system is intended to inhibit the calves’ muscle development, resulting in the ultra-tender flesh that characterizes veal. On many of these intensive confinement farms, calves are also fed an iron-deficient milk replacer, designed to induce borderline anemia, which creates the paleness for which gourmet, “white” veal is named. By the end of their 18 – 20 weeks of life, many calves are so weak from prolonged immobility and malnutrition that they are hardly able to walk on their own to slaughter. Undercover investigations by animal protection groups have documented slaughterhouse workers kicking, dragging and electric-prodding such “downed” animals onto the kill floor. Due to the inherent cruelty of crated veal production, a host of veterinarians and animal scientists, including the conservative American Veterinary Medical Association, has spoken out against it. Upon reviewing the Buckeye Veal Farm footage, Dr. Marc Bekoff, expert in animal cognition and Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder, denounced the facility, stating, “Frankly, the treatment of these calves is disgusting, horrific and reprehensible.” Such expert condemnations, along with an overwhelming body of scientific evidence, affirm what common sense should have told us all long ago: animals with legs should have room to walk; herd animals should not live as isolated individuals; and infant animals should not be torn from their mothers’ sides. CHOOSEVEG.COM

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cover story Crated confinement of calves not only defies common sense, but also is not in keeping with evolving societal views on the treatment of farmed animals. The practice is so patently cruel, that all 27 nations of the European Union, and the states of California, Michigan, Maine, Arizona and Colorado have outlawed it.

Calves confined in veal crates are unable to turn around, walk, play, or engage in natural behaviors.

Crate-Free =/ Cruelty-Free While crated veal production represents one of the severest forms of institutionalized animal cruelty, it is important for consumers to remember that “crate-free” does not mean cruelty-free. Calves raised for veal, including “free-range” veal, are typically stolen from their mothers shortly after birth, causing extreme emotional trauma for all. Many calves, regardless of the type of veal, are also castrated – without anesthesia – in order to prevent testicular hormones from toughening their flesh.

I have always viewed the production of veal as one of the most egregious forms of animal abuse. Veal: Milk's Miserable By-Product Consumers must also remember that to consume dairy products is to support the veal industry. Calves sold into veal production are the “surplus” calves born to dairy cows. Like other mammals, in order to produce milk, cows must bear offspring. Their newborns are taken from them, however, so that their milk can be used for human consumption. Some of the female calves will replace their mothers in the milking herd, but the males, who are not milk-producers and not of the beef-cattle breed, are often sold into veal production.

Stepping Up for Calves Disgusted by the conditions suffered by the animals at Buckeye Veal Farm, Bob Barker, Emmy Award-winning host of The Price is Right and longtime animal advocate, joined forces with MFA in urging Costco and Giant Eagle, two of the farm’s major purchasers, to end the sale of veal in their stores. In letters to CEOs of both companies, Barker stated, “I have always viewed the production of veal as one of the most egregious forms of animal abuse.” Barker also joined MFA in urging consumers to boycott the veal and dairy industries by narrating the Buckeye Veal Farm investigation video and joining MFA’s Executive Director Nathan Runkle in releasing the video to the public at a news conference in Los Angeles. The release of the investigative findings resulted in a deluge of media coverage, including print stories in major publications, such as The Seattle Times and The Huffington Post, and on leading television networks, including ABC, NBC and Fox.

Watch the hidden-camera video at MercyForAnimals.org/Veal

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In response to MFA’s investigation, Costco Wholesale terminated its buyer relationship with Buckeye Veal Farm and implemented a corporate policy change banning the sale of any crated veal in its stores. Also following the investigation, the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board voted to ban veal crates in the state. Fortunately, we as consumers hold the greatest power of all to prevent abuse and needless killing of calves and other farmed animals by choosing to leave meat, eggs and dairy off of our plates.

cover story

Bob to the Rescue Bob Barker, Emmy Award-winner and devoted defender of animals, recently sat down with MFA to share his thoughts on farmed animal advocacy and the place of animal rights in academia. CL: You have pioneered the teaching of animal law and ethics in America by generously endowing our top law schools and establishing a chair in animal rights at your own alma mater, Drury University. Why is it important to bring animal law to our nation’s universities? BB: I believe the most effective way to make this a better world for animals is through legislation. If we could improve and go beyond the laws that we already have on the books, we would accomplish great things. Many, if not the majority, of our congressmen and senators, and politicians throughout the federal, state and local governments have a background as lawyers. My thought was that if these young people have an introduction to animal law, and they get into politics, then they’re in a position to change legislation, be it on the local, state or national level, and that’s what I think will really make a difference.

CL: Where do you see the animal rights movement heading in the next 30 years? BB: The animal rights movement is just like the proverbial snowball rolling down a mountain of snow. It’s going faster and faster, and getting bigger and bigger. In the 30 years that I’ve been in this movement, I’ve seen such huge successes and great steps that I’m convinced we’re eventually going to reach the point where people will say, “They used to cut up animals in laboratories? Why, that was the dark ages.” I think the animal abuse and exploitation that we see today, the horrible mistreatment of animals in entertainment, the breaking of elephants’ spirits, circuses, rodeos – I think all of this will be looked back on as some time in the dark ages. CL: As 97% of cruelty to animals in the U.S. occurs at the hands of the meat, egg and dairy industries, MFA’s primary focus is farmed animal protection. If you could ask our readers to take one action on behalf of farmed animals, what would it be?  BB: Every person in this country has to say, “No” – that’s the word. “No. I don’t want to eat meat.” “No. I don’t want chickens and turkeys abused on my behalf.” “No. I won’t eat cheese and I won’t drink milk – forget it.”

CL: What are some highlights of your nearly 30 years in animal rights activism? BB: Being named an Honorary Fellow by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics is one of the things I am most grateful for. Another highlight is the success of my own foundation, the DJ&T Foundation, which is recognized as the finest spay-neuter organization in the United States. I’d also have to list as one of my highlights the success Mercy For Animals and I shared in the Buckeye Veal exposé. The fact that Costco, this huge chain, agreed to take crated veal off the shelves the day after the press conference, I thought was just splendid in that it shows what you can accomplish if you get in there and keep trying. CHOOSEVEG.COM

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exclusive interview

Confronting CAFOs Exclusive Interview with Dan Imhoff

Dan Imhoff is an independent publisher and author of numerous articles, essays and books on farming and the environment, including Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to a Food and Farm Bill. He is also the editor of CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories. CAFO is a powerful condemnation of factory farming, featuring over 30 essays from today’s leading thinkers on food and agriculture. A visually striking, oversized hardcover, CAFO also amasses more than 400 stunning color photographs. Dan recently privileged MFA with a discussion of CAFO and of factory farming as one of the most pressing ethical, environmental and public health issues of our time.

CL: What is a CAFO? DI: CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. It specifically refers to an animal food production facility that confines at least 1,000 cows; 2,500 to 10,000 swine; 55,000 turkeys; or 30,000 hens. For millennia livestock were raised on diversified farms, where they grazed on pastures or had access to the outdoors. With the advent of CAFOs, animals were “urbanized”: taken off the farm and confined in huge numbers. Tragically, over 90 percent of the country’s meat, eggs, poultry and dairy products now originate in CAFOs or factory farms.

CL: Why could industrial animal farming be easily renamed “fecal farming”? DI: Nearly 10 billion animals are raised and harvested each year in the U.S. alone. These animals produce a lot of urine and feces. It is not uncommon for a CAFO to generate the waste output of a small city. The difference is that there is rarely a sewage treatment plant on site. Instead all that manure from all those animals is stored in giant piles or earthen pits until it can be spewed around surrounding land, buried in fields, or volatilized into the atmosphere. The waste is not easily contained and often ends up fouling waterways, groundwater, and the air.

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CL: How do CAFOs impact natural resources and global climate change? DI: Grain-based animal feed has replaced pasture grazing. The feed is heavily fossil fuel dependent, on machine-driven tilling and harvesting, on petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, and on transport to the CAFO, which sometimes entails vast distances. The manure produced by animals on CAFOs is extremely high in phosphorous and nitrogen, which pass right through the animals back into the environment. CAFOs also discharge high concentrations of greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere.

CL: How is industrial meat production “slaughtering the Amazon”? DI: According to NASA climate scientists, a leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon and other tropical countries is conversion of land for livestock feed cultivation, either to be used on CAFOs locally or to be sold to other countries for feeding operations.

CL: What are some “stereotypies” in confined farmed animal behavior? DI: Stereotypies are abnormal repetitive behaviors that an animal would never exhibit in natural conditions, like pacing, bar chewing, or obsessively trying to build a nest when there are no materials to be had. It’s a scientific term for stir crazy. It’s what happens when an intelligent and curious being like a pig or chicken is pumped full of

It is not uncommon for a CAFO to generate the waste output of a small city.

Credit: HSUS

Credit: Alamy Images grain and then caged with nowhere to go and nothing to do. The only thing worse is when an animal surrenders to captivity, becomes despondent and essentially gives up.

CL: Antibiotics have been called “the health care miracle of the last 500 years.” How are CAFOs putting this miracle at risk? DI: Antibiotics are routinely given to animals in confinement for “growth promotion.” Many of these are the same families of drugs that humans rely on as a last resort to ward off pathogens. Inside CAFOs antibiotics are administered at non-lethal dosages. This allows bacteria and other pathogens the opportunity to develop a resistance to them. These drug-resistant “super bugs” then exit CAFOs through the air, waste systems, the animals themselves, and the people that work there. From there they can move out to the broader environment and even into the food system. Does this sound healthy or sustainable?

CL: How are industrial fish and shrimp farms like floating CAFOs? DI: Many industrial aquaculture operations have adopted the same approach to fish farming as landbased CAFOs. They concentrate huge numbers of animals in pens, import their feed, use antibiotics and other compounds to fight off disease, and generate significant waste that is hard to contain. Many are rightly referred to as floating hog farms. The Food and Drug Administration is on the brink of approving a genetically engineered Atlantic salmon for fish farms: Frankenfish, essentially.

Credit: Getty Images

CL: What are “4-D” animals and why is nearly every American CAFO littered with them? DI: Dead, dying, diseased, and disabled is what makes up the 4-D animal category on CAFOs. The problem is that with so many animals, with minimal supervision and highly unnatural living conditions - when something goes wrong, it can sweep through the population in a hurry. Many operations simply refuse to spend the money for veterinary care or rehabilitation and the animals are left to fend for themselves in a most grim scenario. One of the primary jobs on a CAFO is to make regular rounds to collect mortalities.

CL: How does industrial animal farming try to make nature fit industry? DI: CAFOs are not about cows grazing in pastures, hogs rolling in mud, and roosters crowing from the fence posts, with farmers caring for the animals. These are industrial creatures from beginning to end - often even at conception. Artificial insemination is practiced in many sectors of animal agriculture. Animals are also often physically altered to meet the conditions of confinement: chickens’ beaks are seared to prevent pecking; hogs' tails are “docked” so they avoid being bitten by others; cattle have their horns shortened. Many creatures never see the light of day once inside the CAFO system. CHOOSEVEG.COM

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fish investigation

The facility’s name is jaunty and playful, but behind its walls lies a world of terror and brutality – live catfish being suffocated, skinned alive, and dismembered while fully conscious and feeling pain. Not until their heads are torn off do they cease struggling to escape the knives of their tormentors. This is the startling cruelty unearthed by a Mercy For Animals investigation into “Catfish Corner,” a fish slaughter operation located in Mesquite, Texas. Over September and October 2010, “Mike,” an MFA undercover investigator, made multiple visits to the facility with a hidden camera concealed on his body. Time and time again, he found routine, daily abuses that are beyond imagination.

Conscious on the Cutting Table Mike’s video footage shows dozens of live fish at Catfish Corner crammed into buckets and baskets, out of water and gasping for oxygen as they await their fate. Workers grab them one by one, and with pairs of pliers, literally pull the fishes’ skin from their bodies. The skinned fish flail and struggle in agony, futilely trying to evade the workers’ knives as they are sliced and split in half – dismembered alive.

Upon receipt of the undercover video, farmed-animal welfare expert Dr. Temple Grandin assessed that “people processing live fish should first render the fish insensible before skinning, removing meat, or other invasive procedures.” At Catfish Corner, no attempt whatsoever is made to stun or render the fish insensible to pain. Their final and only respite comes when their heads are torn off. Reviewing the same footage, acclaimed animal behaviorist Dr. Jonathan Balcombe stridently condemned the entire process: “Handling such as that shown in the footage is extremely cruel and heartless and should be outlawed immediately.” He further stated, “The animals are handled roughly and without care, as if they were slabs of clay.”

EMPTYING the oceans Tragically, the abuses documented at Catfish Corner only begin to reveal the horrors inflicted on animals at the hands of the fishing industry. The fishing industry revolves around ocean trawling, in which industrial ships drag miles of net along the ocean floor, indiscriminately capturing and hauling in hundreds of tons of fish and other sea animals. As this mass industrial trawling increasingly threatens the survival of multiple fish species, it is also responsible for the deaths of millions of by-catch animals, such as dolphins, turtles, sea lions and other “non-target” aquatic species every year. The U.S. government estimates that over 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually by the U.S. commercial fishing industry alone. And this does not take into account the fate of the fish themselves, who undergo excruciating decompression as they are pulled from the ocean floor. These extreme changes in pressure often rupture their swimbladders, pop out their eyes, or even propel their stomachs through their mouths. Once onboard, if the surviving fish do not suffocate or get crushed to death under the weight of the others, they are hacked to pieces while still alive.

fish investigation

View the shocking undercover footage at:

MercyForAnimals.org/Fish

Tanks of torment The suffering of ocean-caught fish, while horrific, is perhaps surpassed by the anguish endured by those fish raised through industrial aquaculture, or factory fish farming, whose misery begins at conception. It is estimated today that one in every five fish consumed worldwide has been raised in aquaculture, a figure twice what it was a decade ago. Every year in the United States, approximately 8.4 billion farmed fish are killed for food. According to the USDA, more than 80% of these farm-raised fish are catfish, with Texas, home to Catfish Corner, as a leading producer. Farm-raised fish often spend their entire lives in crowded, concrete, excrement-laden enclosures up to twenty acres large. With disease rampant in such conditions, fish farmers must use increasing amounts of agrichemicals to keep their operations profitable – disinfectants, bactericides, herbicides, and vaccines and drugs to treat diseases and parasites. The industry also makes extensive use of an array of spawning and production hormones. The fish who survive to reach market weight suffer stress and injury as they are netted into tanker trucks for transport to the kill plant. Many of these facilities simply empty the fish into mesh tanks where they suffocate to death.

The catfish in this video show clearly aversive behavior during slaughter indicating awareness and sensibility. This procedure offers a slow, painful, prolonged death to the fish. - Dr. Debra Teachout , veterinary expert

LEFT OUT TO DRY It is now widely understood that fish feel pain; in fact, modern research has demonstrated that they process pain in much the same way as mammals. The fish in the footage shot at Catfish Corner flail frantically, attempting to escape their suffering. In the analysis of veterinary expert Dr. Debra Teachout, “The catfish in this video show clearly aversive behavior during slaughter indicating awareness and sensibility. This procedure offers a slow, painful, prolonged death to the fish.”

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Compassionate Living Mercyforanimals.org

While recent science is clear on fish sentience, laws designed to protect animals are regrettably outdated on the matter. In December, Mercy For Animals presented documentation of the cruelty at Catfish Corner to the Dallas County District Attorney’s office, petitioning them to pursue a criminal complaint against the perpetrators. The D.A.'s office, however, declined to file charges, citing the lack of legal precedent for fish in Texas history.

fish investigation

Moreover, not a single federal law exists to protect fish from torture and abuse – fish are specifically exempted from both the Animal Welfare Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. In response to the D.A.'s decision, Mercy For Animals submitted letters to all 181 Texas State congressmen, calling on them to close the loophole in state anti-cruelty law that excludes animals killed in fishing from protection. MFA also held three simultaneous press conferences in Dallas, Austin and Houston, releasing the footage shot at Catfish Corner and emphasizing its appeal to the Legislature to extend the most basic anti-cruelty protections to fish. Without such protections, there is little recourse to stop even the most abhorrent abuses uncovered at Catfish Corner – and little incentive for fish producers to reduce the suffering endemic to the industry as a whole. The clearest path to protecting fish from pain and suffering, however, lies not with any prosecutor or legislative body – it lies with us as consumers. Every act of brutality committed against fish and other farmed animals is carried out with the aim of providing their meat, milk, or eggs to the public. By simply choosing to abstain from these items and follow a vegan diet, we can directly spare animals from lives of misery and contribute to the creation of a more humane world.

Fish: Sentient and Intelligent Creatures Fish are able to use tools, recognize individual fish, and act cooperatively to hunt and assess predators. They also exhibit long-term memories, and those living in rocky tide pools are even able to memorize complex topography during high tides, in order to safely leap from one area of pooled water into another in low tides.

"Painful stimulation, such as electric shocks, fin-pinching and needle-pricking, induces distressed behavior in fish, which diminishes when a pain suppressant is administered." Moreover, studies have found that fish can learn to avoid such painful stimulation through association with neutral cues, indicatingthat pain is a conscious experience for them. Scientists also report “play-like” behavior in fish. Worldrenowned animal behaviorist Jonathan Balcombe, PhD, describes fish balancing and juggling objects, repeatedly leapfrogging over floating objects, and even gulping air at the surface of their tank, swimming to the bottom, releasing the air and chasing the bubbles back to the top!

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New Film and Nationwide Tour Expose Meat Industry Cruelty

The Brutal Truth Farm to Fridge is an unadulterated exposé of shocking factory-farming abuses, such as: Extreme Confinement. Breeding sows and calves raised for veal

As the national debate over our treatment of farmed animals escalates, MFA has just released a gripping, 12-minute documentary exposing the tragic and hidden journey cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and fish make from Farm to Fridge. Masterfully narrated by Academy Award-nominee James Cromwell, and featuring music by experimental composer Ben Frost, Farm to Fridge uses arresting images captured on undercover camera to provide a comprehensive, no-holds-barred look at our nation’s meat, egg, dairy and fish farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses and seafood trawling operations. MFA aims to reach millions of consumers in 2011 with this groundbreaking film.

Star Power Acclaimed actor James Cromwell brings a compelling and rich vocal narrative to Farm to Fridge. Cromwell is perhaps best known for his performances in Babe, L.A. Confidential, The Green Mile and the television series Six Feet Under. He received an Oscar nomination for his role as the farmer in Babe, a pivotal film that opened America’s eyes to the intelligent, sensitive, and irreplaceable individuals that pigs are. Cromwell is also an ethical vegan and a passionate, longtime animal advocate.

spend nearly their entire lives in crates barely larger than their own bodies; fish, chickens and turkeys raised for meat are crowded by the tens of thousands in disease-ridden and excrement-laden environments; and egg-laying hens are packed together into cages so tightly they cannot even spread one wing. Locked in windowless warehouses, these animals never see sunlight or breathe fresh air.

must know

Painful Mutilations. The beaks of chickens and turkeys are partly seared off with a hot blade or laser; pigs and cattle are castrated and hot-iron branded or tattooed with spiked mallets; the budding horns of calves are burned or sawed out of their skulls; and the tails of cows and piglets are chopped or twisted off. These excruciating amputations are standard procedure and almost always performed without the use of painkillers.

Violent Handling. Undercover investigations have revealed downed animals – those too sick or injured to stand – kicked, shocked, pushed with forklifts, and hosed onto the kill floor; workers have been documented stomping on chickens and throwing live hens into trash cans and manure pits; many birds suffer broken bones as they are callously hurled into transport crates bound for slaughter; and workers commonly kick, beat and shout at pigs and cattle to herd them. Agonizing Deaths. Male chicks are tossed live into grinding machines or piled into trash bags to be smothered or suffocated on their first day of life; workers frequently kill sick, injured or runt piglets by slamming them headfirst into concrete; chickens and turkeys are sometimes scalded alive on slaughter assembly lines; fish are rarely stunned prior to skinning; and unreliable stunning condemns many cattle and pigs to slaughter while conscious and sensible to pain. Farm to Fridge draws connections between farmed animals – intelligent and curious creatures with a demonstrated capacity to suffer pain – and our beloved dogs and cats, leaving viewers with a powerful message to choose compassion over cruelty by embracing a vegan lifestyle.

Taking It to the Streets MFA has launched an eye-opening, cross-country video truck tour – the first of its kind – to promote Farm to Fridge. Retrofitted with three 80” video screens and speakers, the truck creates a stirring, high-impact attraction wherever it goes. The three-month expedition will cover nearly 12,000 miles and over 40 of the country’s largest and most bustling metropolitan areas. Concentrating on college campuses, festivals, parades, and other high foot-traffic downtown venues, the tour features screenings of Farm to Fridge, grassroots advocacy events spotlighting vegan living and the horrors of factory farming, and extensive television, radio and print media outreach. While the truck is in transit, it displays three billboard-sized signs, bearing powerful images of crated pigs and battery-caged chickens, and boldly asking, “How much cruelty can you swallow?” The signs encourage motorists to visit MeatVideo.com and ”Boycott Animal Abuse. Choose Vegetarian.” The progress of the tour can be followed on a blog at FarmtoFridgeTour.com. For information on how you can use the power of video to end cruelty to farmed animals, visit MFA’s Farm to Fridge campaign page at MercyForAnimals.org/Farm-to-Fridge.

To view Farm to Fridge in its entirety, and to share the video on your Facebook page, or embed it on your blog or website, visit MeatVideo.com.

action alert

OPENING EYES,

HEARTS

& MINDS

Tips on Promoting MFA's Powerful Farm To Fridge Film Video footage is undoubtedly the most powerful tool the animal rights movement has to expose the suffering of farmed animals. Farm to Fridge, Mercy For Animals’ newest and most hard-hitting film to date, is being hailed as “one of the top five milestones for animals this decade.” Drawing on MFA’s highly acclaimed undercover investigations, Farm to Fridge chronicles some of the most egregious animal cruelty ever documented, taking viewers on an unforgettable 12-minute journey behind the closed doors of the nation’s largest industrial poultry, pig, dairy and fish farms, hatcheries, and slaughterhouses.

Since the film’s release in February, we’ve heard almost daily reports from viewers who’ve decided to ditch cruelty by adopting a kind and compassionate vegan diet. Inspired? You, too, can use the power of video to expose the ugly truth about animal agriculture and help create a kinder world for all animals. We’ve outlined a few ways to get you started:

Share MeatVideo.com Share Farm to Fridge on your own Facebook page simply by clicking the “Share on Facebook” button found on MeatVideo.com. Consider blasting the link via MySpace and Twitter as well. You can also spread the word by placing a link to MeatVideo.com in your e-mail signature – revealing the truth behind meat, dairy, and egg production with every e-mail you send. • Commenting on web articles and blogs with a link to MeatVideo.com is a great way to seal any discussion about factory farming. • Have a website or blog? Embedding the Farm to Fridge video on your own website will encourage countless loyal followers to transition to a plant-based diet.

Compassionate Living Mercyforanimals.org

Film for Thought Farm to Fridge has already amassed over 3 million views online, and has been shared nearly 200,000 times on Facebook, since its launch in February. Countless others have been exposed to this powerful film through DVD distribution, public screenings, and other outreach efforts. MFA has been inundated with moving comments from viewers who have been deeply impacted by the film. Here is what a few viewers had to say:

"I was very touched, and hurt by this video. I solemnly swear to never eat meat or drink milk again, so much cruelty. "

Host a "Paid-PerView" Event Hosting a “Paid-Per-View” screening at a college campus, festival, library or local community center is easier than you think! Here’s how it works: set up a viewing booth with laptops and headphones at a busy area in your community, such as a Student Union building. Invite passersby to earn $1 by watching a four-minute segment of Farm to Fridge. Afterwards, thank them for their time and offer a one-dollar bill tucked inside a Vegetarian Starter Kit. You can receive funding for “Paid-Per-View” events through VegFund.org.

Organize a Film Screening and Discussion Screenings can range from a group of several friends to an auditorium packed with people. Try hosting a Farm to Fridge viewing party for friends and family, complete with delicious vegan treats and free Vegetarian Starter Kits. Have an informal film discussion afterwards so attendees can share their reactions and questions about cruelty-free living. To reach an even larger audience, invite a speaker to talk about animal rights at your local library, school, workplace, or community center. Farm to Fridge can be screened as part of the presentation and the talk can be followed by a Q&A session.

"Thank you for opening my eyes."

"Because of this video I will never eat meat again."

"Completely shocked and saddened by this video. Moved me to change... and didn’t see that coming."

"This video has really moved me. I have seen documentaries such as Food, Inc., but the video shown here has blown me away. I want to do whatever I can to help."

Get Creative The possibilities for promoting Farm to Fridge are virtually endless. You can write a letter to the editor of your local paper describing the horrors of factory farming and include the MeatVideo.com link, incorporate the video into your own school presentation, or even ask your loved ones to watch the film as their birthday or holiday gift to you. Consider buying copies of Farm to Fridge in bulk to stock at local libraries, coffee shops, and similar venues. Thank you in advance for all your lifesaving efforts on behalf of farmed animals!

CHOOSEVEG.COM

Spring-Summer 11

21

MFA Marketplace

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Logo Apparel Show your support for animal liberation with MFA’s logo apparel. Features the MFA logo on 100% sweatshop-free garments made by American Apparel.

a Tee $20 (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL) $30 (S, M, L, XL, XXL) b Hoodie Printed on 50/50 Cotton/Poly blend.

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d a

Baby Cap T $15 (S, M, L, XL)

c

Other Tees d

Not Cool $25 (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL) Features the etchings of the rib cage and stomach, with a swallowed chick declaring, “Not Cool.” A larger chick rests on the back bottom corner of the T who concludes “Go Vegetarian.”

e Beef Cuts $25 (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL) Parodying a Beef Cuts diagram used by butchers, this edgy T gives a brutally honest look at what’s truly for dinner.

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Steer Clear $20 (XS, S, M, L, XL) This limited edition T features an iconic bull with the phrase "Steer Clear of Cruelty - Choose Veg" and MFA logo on right sleeve.

g Ask Me Why $25

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Start the conversation about the benefits of a veggie diet with this new MFA T. This T features a lovable cow with the phrase, “Ask Me Why I’m Vegetarian.” MFA logo on back.

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Blue, (XS, S, M, L, XL) Cotton-Poly Blend Fuchsia, (S, M, L, XL) Fine Jersey Cotton

Bags and More h Messenger Bag $25

MFA’s messenger bags give you go-anywhere capabilities with ease.

i

Eat Kind Bag $5

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I Heart MFA Stickers $2

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Lightweight canvas bag is great for trips to the grocery store.

Show your support for Mercy For Animals with your very own “I Heart MFA” sticker. Sticker dimensions are 2" x 6."

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>> Order online at

ShopMFA.com.

Brochures and DVDs

For bulk literature and DVD orders, please call 866.632.6446. Farm to Fridge DVD $1

Fowl Play DVD $10

Narrated by Oscar-nominee James Cromwell, this powerful 12-minute film goes behind the closed doors of the nation’s largest industrial poultry, pig, dairy and fish farms, hatcheries, and slaughter plants – revealing the often-unseen journey that animals make from Farm to Fridge.

MFA’s award-winning documentary featuring footage from the country’s largest egg facilities, as well as interviews with animal rescuers, undercover investigators, and animal care professionals.

Pig & Puppy Brochure 10/$1

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Veg Eating Brochure 10/$1 Positive, inspiring, and informative, this nongraphic pro-vegetarian brochure describes the ethical, health, and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet.

Global Warming Brochure 10/$1 Exposes another inconvenient truth: meat production is a leading cause of global warming. Learn how raising farmed animals creates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s cars and trucks combined.

Veg Starter Kit 2/$1

25 Reasons Brochure 5/$1

MFA’s 32-page Starter Kit is packed full of mouthwatering recipes, helpful tips, and thought-provoking information on the health, ethical, and environmental reasons to go vegetarian.

Informative and thought-provoking, this new 16-page brochure explores 25 reasons to choose a healthy, compassionate and sustainable vegetarian diet. Also contains tips on making the switch to a plant-based diet, meal ideas, and resources.

Mail order and payment to: Mercy For Animals, 3712 N. Broadway, Ste. 560, Chicago, IL 60613 Item Description

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